We closed Wednesday’s post with the comment that converting B-1 space to “R” (residential) space is not something that the City of Park Ridge should rush into just because a handful of residents want it, or because some local politician thinks he can buy some goodwill from such a change. 

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened this past Monday night, as 5th Ward Ald. Robert Ryan led the charge for the zoning change to the former Napleton Cadillac triangle parking lot at Northwest Hwy and Meacham.  That change, and a similar one to the “Audrey’s” property at Northwest Hwy and Elm, passed on first reading and are scheduled for final second-reading approval at this coming Monday night’s Council meeting. 

Two readings in seven days sure sounds to us like a classic rush to judgment, especially when we have a holiday weekend intervening.  But that just shows how badly the Council wants to get this done.  And “badly” is how it likely will end. 

Why is this being done when there aren’t even any plans on the drawing boards for the affected properties, and with the City growing increasingly desperate for tax-generating businesses to locate here?  If Park Ridge truly does have an “anti-business” reputation, it sure isn’t being helped by B-1 properties being converted to R properties.

But according to Ryan, he’s being “responsive” to the wishes of his 5th Ward constituents…after repeatedly having given them the back of his hand on issues like the redevelopment of Executive Office Plaza and his support of the PADS homeless shelter.  And that’s when he wasn’t leading the Council in number of missed meetings. 

Ryan claims that changing the Napleton lot’s status from the B-1 designation it has had for at least the past 20 years to R-3 will “provide consistency with the Uptown plan” – even though that property (and Audrey’s, for that matter) isn’t even part of the Uptown plan, as best as we can tell; and even though Northwest Hwy is dotted with a variety of businesses and strip centers from Uptown all the way out past Oakton Street.

At least new First Ward Ald. Joe Sweeney and Second Ward Ald. Rich DiPietro voted “No” on the Napleton change, although DiPietro flipped over to the “Yes” side and supported a B to R zoning change for the Audrey’s property.

Ironically, these changes were passed after the Council heard approximately 30 residents complain about flooding problems.  And several of the speakers noted that “something has changed” to make flooding more common than it used to be – a comment heard from residents every time flooding is discussed.

If we’re looking for “what has changed,” how about: “We’re losing too much green space (i.e., grass) to oversized structures”?  Or: “We’re adding too many residential units for our antiquated sewer system to handle”? 

These same concerns were expressed prior to the addition of approximately 200 residential units to a few square blocks of Uptown where there formerly was none.  We wonder exactly how much additional sewer capacity – if any – was added to the system in order to account for the evacuation of the sewerage generated by those units which, notably, are located at the highest point of the City. 

Don’t get us wrong.  We are big fans of the “residential character” of Park Ridge, although our taste in “residential character” runs more toward single-family houses.  But residences don’t generate sales taxes, nor do they generate property taxes at the same higher rate of commercial property.  So gratuitously converting B parcels to R sure seems like shooting ourselves in both feet for no good reason. 

Residences, however, are the “low-hanging fruit” when it comes to sales and profit for developers. And the higher-density, multi-family residences are the lowest of that low-hanging fruit.

Park Ridge continues to have a budget that is $2 million in deficit, and growing…thanks to even more spending by City Staff, blessed by the City Council, without any increase in revenues.  Where’s the revenue going to come from to fill that hole, much less to help pay for things like flooding relief?  We don’t know.  And neither does City Staff or the Council, apparently. 

That’s why turning business property into residential without any kind of game plan is the kind of narrow, shortsighted thinking that not only won’t provide any solutions, but which actually raises more questions than it answers.